Sparkly cheekbones have quietly become part of the outdoor uniform. From ultramarathon finish lines to whitewater rafts and mountaineering trips, face glitter is everywhere right now — and the people wearing it say it does more than look fun.
The trend got its boost from elites. Jennifer Lichter set a course record at the Western States 100-miler in June with orange glitter across her cheekbones, while cross-country skier Jessie Diggins, a four-time Olympic medallist, sparkled through the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Diggins started wearing glitter at 19, when pre-race nerves were draining the joy out of competition. Now she applies it before leaving the hotel and calls it her most important pre-race ritual — because, as she puts it, it's hard to take yourself too seriously with glitter on your face.
Olympic runner Alexi Pappas is another early adopter. She first wore glitter, rhinestones and butterfly wings at the 2021 New York City Marathon while returning from hamstring surgery, using the sparkles as a kind of protective armour to signal she was at peace with a slower result. She's since gone further: her new brand, Glop, launches at the Chicago Marathon on October 9 with sweat-proof glitter pouches designed to fit in a running vest. The colourways are inspired by metamorphosing animals — pink and purple mimics the strawberry sea anemone.
The appeal is strongest in endurance events, where a mood boost can matter as much as fitness. Legendary ultrarunner Ann Trason, a 14-time Western States champion, calls glitter her "happiness powder" after seeing a struggling runner revive at a glitter-stocked aid station during a 100k in 2018. But it's spread well beyond racing. Upwards Transitions Institute, a female-owned guide company in Bellingham, Washington, keeps pots of glitter in its guide kit to cut fear before technical mountaineering days. Brooke Hornbeck, a raft guide on Montana's Middle Fork of the Flathead River, applies it before she brushes her teeth and offers it to whole buses of guests. For her, glitter is also a way of expressing femininity in male-dominated spaces — and making clear it can be a strength.
There's an eco-conscious twist. Guides worried about microplastics ending up on glaciers and rivers have turned to biodegradable glitter gel from Montana brand Adorn Glitter, made from eucalyptus tree cellulose. Founder Ali Bierman started the company in 2022 after making glitter party favours for friends, and sees the boom as part of a broader shift toward colour and playfulness in outdoor gear, driven largely by small women-owned brands.
Why does this matter if you're just booking a trip? If you join a rafting, skiing or hiking excursion in the US mountain West this year, don't be surprised if a guide pulls out the glitter pot before setting off. Saying yes is a low-stakes way to loosen up a group before something intimidating — a big rapid, a steep climb, a long day on trail. Just make sure it's the biodegradable stuff, so the mountains don't pay for the sparkle.
Original reporting by Outside Online.
